


Love Me Tender

by Miso



Series: country roads, take me home [2]
Category: Sonic the Hedgehog (2020)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Dr. Robotnik Needs A Hug, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Meet the Family, Slow Dancing, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, the threequel!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-08
Updated: 2020-04-08
Packaged: 2021-03-01 19:15:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,919
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23542213
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Miso/pseuds/Miso
Summary: Robotnik is dragged home to meet Stone's family. It doesn't go well.
Relationships: Dr. Eggman | Dr. Robotnik/Agent Stone
Series: country roads, take me home [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1694119
Comments: 11
Kudos: 112





	Love Me Tender

**Author's Note:**

> no betas no edits we die like men
> 
> ANYWAY im making this au into a series now! consider installment one to be a sort of test run i guess
> 
> stone is the only boy in his family and you can really tell he grew up with sisters. the name daniel is a nod to "you're a fun-gi to be around aren't you agent stone?" and the dancing scene is lowkey ganked from the same stobotnik discord convo that inspired drakine's "it's okay, just dance". they love each other

In retrospect, it probably would have been better if Stone had been upfront with his family about the man he was bringing home. In his defense, he wasn't sure how to describe Robotnik a solid ninety-seven percent of the time. What could he say when his mother asked him what his new partner did for a living? _He's the most valuable and top secret asset to the United States military responsible for a number of coups and overthrowing of governments? He makes robots designed to do nothing but kill and maim?_ He'd said he was a military engineer. It wasn't entirely a lie.

When his eldest sister asked what this new mystery man was like, Stone had faltered again. _Unhinged? Disastrous? Like a tornado meeting a rainbow, beautiful and deadly?_ He'd simply described him as intelligent and handsome but... a bit quirky. After the incident with the hedgehog, and receiving more than enough money to live on comfortably for the next couple hundred years from the government in exchange for being silent about it, Stone's mind was more than made up. He couldn't, in good conscience, continue to let Ivo put the both of them in danger. It had taken months of begging, cajoling, pleading, and bargaining.

Eventually, though, Ivo gave in. He had nothing to stay in Washington, DC for anymore, not after the government decided the both of them were liabilities and severed ties with them (but, of course, not before paying them very handsomely to shut up about the little blue space gremlin in Montana). Ivo wasn't thrilled about moving to West Virginia, exactly- he would have vastly preferred the two of them just go into hiding somewhere and re-emerge with a concrete plan to take over the world- but for Stone, he was willing to do just about anything. Including- eugh, the thought made him shudder- meet his family.

At least, until his agent informed him that he'd appreciate it if he maybe accidentally toned down the whole 'evil genius' thing just an eeny-weeny bit when he brought him home to his family. Ivo sat upright in bed on their last night in Washington, eyebrow cocked quizzically, and Stone winced at the almost tangible judgment. "I can explain," he said, and Ivo huffed.

"Get to it, then."

"I just... didn't know what to tell them. I didn't want them to judge you without even meeting you."

"What exactly did you tell them?"

"You're a military engineer. Smart, and handsome... a little quirky." While the compliments of 'smart' and 'handsome' made Ivo puff his chest out a little like a proud bird, he couldn't help but scowl slightly at the comment of 'a little quirky.'

"And you never felt like it was appropriate to tell them-"

"No, Ivo, I didn't... just... maybe don't... wear the trench coat and all black when we go? You can borrow one of my turtlenecks and a pair of jeans, if you like, I just didn't-"

"I'm offended you would even consider asking me to tone myself down, Aban. I will be doing no such thing. You inexplicably accept me as I am. I will not put on a front for your family." He turned over, pulling the blankets up to his chin, signifying that the conversation was over. Stone sighed a little, shrugged, and lay back down beside him, moving to pull him into their usual embrace when Ivo shoved his arm away. "And what do you think you're doing?"

"... Holding you?"

"Nope. No. We're arguing." Oh, they were? "Don't touch me." Stone opened his mouth to protest, but was cut off with "And if you're going to argue with me, you can go sleep on the couch." _What couch?_ Stone wanted to ask. They had gotten rid of the majority of their possessions that they couldn't pack into boxes and take with them to West Virginia. They both agreed on a clean slate. With a heavy sigh, Stone shook his head and relented.

"Alright. Fine." He turned his back to Ivo. "Goodnight."

\---

"I cannot believe you talked me into this," Stone mumbled as he and Ivo placed their last few boxes in the fuck-off huge freight truck that housed the mobile lab, and their tiny mobile living quarters. Their original plan had been for them to take the drive in their civilian-friendly car, a Jeep Grand Cherokee, and have the freighter arrive via its driverless autopilot at a later date. Instead- at Ivo's insistence- they were being driven there by the truck, towing the Jeep behind it. Stone hadn't been pleased, but, well, he felt like he owed Ivo a little wiggle room after that whole mess with asking him to tone his whole 'evil genius' shtick down. With a few beeps, swipes and taps, the truck was en route to the suburbs of Charleston, West Virginia, where Stone had spent his childhood and his family still lived.

"It's much better than spending six hours driving non-stop," Robotnik replied, watching Stone roll his eyes and lean against the wall like a sulking teenager. "This way we're free to roam about the truck as need be, sleep, use the bathroom, and eat as we please without having to find a rest stop, and-"

"Ivo, it's a six hour drive. We would have survived."

"But why survive when you can thrive?" The Doctor smiled and passed by Stone. "If you'll excuse me, Aban, I'll be sitting on the couch stuffing empty calories into my face."

"Don't spoil your appetite," came an almost-genuine warning. "My family's having a barbecue tonight. My dad's a grilling master."

"Indeed." Ivo pressed his thumb to the fingerprint scanner that allowed access to the small living quarters on the truck, and the automatic door whooshed open. "I recommend you come get yourself comfortable, Stone. It's going to be a long six hours if you don't."

\---

Nasira Stone wasn't sure what she expected when her only brother told the family he was bringing home a new boyfriend. He spoke the world of this mystery man, talked about him like he put the stars in the sky. She definitely, however, didn't expect the ground to rattle as her father placed food on the grill, and she chatted happily with her sisters over beers. She didn't expect her mother to race into the house to save her heirloom pottery from an earthquake, only to be interrupted as a gigantic, matte black eighteen wheeler pulled into their driveway (and she swore she saw her father thank the stars that they were wealthy and had a huge driveway). The engine stopped, the brakes hissed, and a panel from the side of the truck fell to the ground, transforming into a staircase.

At the head of the stairs stood a tall, thin man with alarmingly pale skin, wearing all black from head to toe. He looked over the yard with a regarding smirk, then strode down the steps two at a time.

Then behind him came Aban, head in his hands, looking unspeakably embarrassed as he followed he tall man into the yard.

"Good evening, quaint country family!" the man said, "I'm assuming you're the direct blood relatives of one Aban Stone?"

Their father, a normally unflappable man, cleared his throat and tried to speak. "I, um... I'm his father. You are...?"

"Doctor Ivo Robotnik." The doctor shirked away a bit when Stone's father- his apron read 'it's a Tariq thing, you wouldn't understand'- reached for a handshake. Behind him, Aban mouthed to his father, repeatedly, "I am so sorry."

"Well, Doctor... Ro... botnik..." An interesting name, Tariq mused, as his wife and daughters peered on from the sidelines. "I'm guessing you're Aban's-"

"Yes. Yes, I am. I'm here because I've successfully courted your son." The doctor glanced toward Stone's mother and sisters. "And these are...?"

"Oh, um," Tariq began nervously, "Nasira, Adeline, Johara, Kittiana- she goes by Kit- and my wife, Dinah."

Ivo cleared his throat and bowed far-too-theatrically to Stone's female relatives. "My ladies! I've come due to a sense of mutual romantic affection between Aban and I, in order to ingratiate myself with your family. I-"

"OKAY, honey, I think that's enough theatrics," Stone interrupted, cupping a hand over Ivo's mouth and smiling nervously at his family. "He's a little... extravagant sometimes. I, um, I'd like you all to meet my boyfriend, Ivo.

A heavy pause before Kit spoke up. "Aban," she said, "are you dating your boss?"

"No!" Stone half-yelled.

"Yes," Ivo calmly stated with a smirk.

\---

Dinner was awkward at best. Six pairs of eyes were on him and Ivo, and he barely got a bite of food down before questions were being asked. Dinah was the first to break the silence.

"So, um... how did you two meet?"

"We work together," Stone murmured, dragging his fork through a pile of mashed potatoes. "He's-"

"He's your boss, Aban, we can tell," Kit interrupted again. "Why are you sleeping with your boss? Is he making you do it to keep your job?"

"What? No!"

Ivo held back a chuckle. "In fact, you'll likely be pleased to know that in the time we've been seeing each other, Stone has made no upwards movement."

A heavy pause.

"... Stone? He was calling you Aban earlier. Was that all a show?" Dinah asked, her brow furrowed in concern. "Does he even know your full name? Your birthday?"

"In fact, I do. His name is Aban Lee Daniel Stone, he's thirty-eight years old, his birthday is May 31st, he's five feet, ten inches tall exactly, weighs one hundred and eighty four pounds, and-" A pause to glance at the screen his gloves controlled- "his heart rate is increasing exponentially every second this conversation carries on."

"Wait, his heart rate?"

"Listen-" Stone began, cutting off the murmur at the table. "It's just my watch. He has one, too." Stone displayed his smart watch. "It's just so we can keep tabs on each other, send each other messages without worrying about them being intercepted, that kind of thing-"

"It just sounds a lot like he's being possessive, Aban..."

"Mom, he's not- it isn't like that... can we just eat? Please?"

Silence fell until Kit, jokingly, broke it with "So, how is he in bed?"

Stone choked on his drink. Ivo didn't miss a beat. "Oh, he's a delight."

Eyebrows rising, Kit pushed further. "Who's, y'know... the guy?"

"Kit, we're both guys, that's the-"

"He is," Ivo answered casually, and the rest of the family either went pale or burst into laughter while Stone covered his face, turning visibly red behind his hands. This was a disaster. Kit seemed to like Ivo fine, but everyone else... well, they looked perturbed at best.

"I've lost my appetite," Stone murmured, pushing his plate away.

\---  
"Aban," his mother murmured as she approached him, sitting on the front porch and watching a storm roll in from the distance. "Sweetheart, can we talk?"

"It's about Ivo, isn't it?"

"Well... yes." Dinah sat down beside her son, putting an arm around his shoulders. "I know he makes you very happy, dear, and I'm happy that you're happy, but... are you sure he's... _the one?_ I know you-"

"Mother, I've never been more sure of anything in my life." Stone fixed her with the most serious look she had ever seen on his face. "I love him."

"I know you do, but... are you so sure he loves you as much as you love him? Even if he does, he's... a little strange... he was trying to explain quantum physics to us when you came out here, you know. And then when he started talking about your... personal business... at the dinner table... and the tracking watch..."

"Mom, I love him. You don't have to like him."

"It's not that we don't like him! He's... a character, for certain, and he seems very intelligent... I just want you to settle down with someone who really is right for you." A thunderclap as the storm approached closer. "We should head inside. It's going to rain soon."

The pair wandered into the living room, Aban pausing when he noticed his partner was nowhere to be seen. "What... happened to Ivo?"

"Oh. Dick Dastardly got fed up with the questions and went out to that huge truck you showed up in," Johara answered, not looking up from her phone. "He's weird, Aban. Super weird. Like, I dunno if I trust him or not."

"His name isn't Dick Dastardly. I've heard you call him that, like, five times tonight."

"Fine. Snidely Whiplash out there-"

"His name is Ivo!" Stone snapped, silencing his family. "What kind of questions were you asking him?"

"What he was planning on doing with you," began Tariq, and his daughters followed.

"Why he called you Stone instead of your name."

"If he ever hit you."

"What we would do to him if he ever hurt you."

"If he was taking advantage of you because he's your boss."

"If what he does for a living is putting you in danger... if he could keep you safe..."

"If he-"

Aban cut his family off with an agonized groan. "Yeah, I would've gotten pissed off, too!" he snarled. "He has a name! It's Ivo! And no, he's not taking advantage of me, he's never hit me, he's not planning on _doing anything_ with me except moving in together, he called me Stone instead of Aban because _we have to do that for work_ , and the only person put in danger by his work is him! I'm literally there to keep him safe! I'm not the one that needs to be worried about!" He ran a hand over his hair, exhausted. "Look, I don't care if you like him or not," he said to his family, a little more coldly than he really meant to, "but I love him. I love him more than I have ever, ever loved a man before." He felt emotions start to rise in his chest and took a deep breath. "I'm gonna marry him. I'm not going to ask you to like him... but I'm gonna ask you to be civil to him."

"It isn't that we don't like him," Dinah repeated as thunder roared outside again. "It's just... we want you safe, Aban. We love you."

"And I love you, but... I love him, too, and I swear whether you believe it or not, he loves me. He... he's so much better than you think he is. I promise."

"It's just that he looks like he kicks over kids' sandcastles at the beach for fun."

"He probably has," Stone admitted sheepishly, "and I... I'm not going to say he hasn't done some really bad things. I don't know if I'd call him a good person, in the strictest sense of the word, but... he's good to me. He would die before he hurt me. I'm sure of it. He... he might not have acted like it, but he wants you to accept him. He wants you to like him. He's never had a family, really, you know? He just... doesn't know what to do around people. He needs patience."

Quiet. Scanning the room, there was guilt visible on the faces of his sisters, concern on his parents'. "I know you meant well, but... he's probably pretty shaken up by all of this." He took a deep breath. "I'm not trying to be rude, but I need to go check on him."

Rushing out to the truck and allowing the facial recognition scanner to read his features and allow him access, Stone hurried up the stairs into the trailer. "Ivo?" he called upon entering their living quarters. "Ivo, baby, are you in here?" No response. He sighed and rubbed his temples, worry gripping him for a brief second, before music coming from the direction of the mobile lab caught his attention. Thank god. He begged the thumbprint scanner to work faster as it verified his identity, the door finally, finally opening with that familiar wooshing noise.

Ivo sat at his workbench, hands in his hair. On his screen was one of his playlists, titled "The Inevitable." The song was something called _Too Fucked Up To Love You_. Stone didn't catch the lyrics, but he managed to turn the volume down a little. Ivo didn't react. "You okay?" he whispered.

"Just excellent, Stone," Robotnik answered, his voice notably tight. "Wonderful. Delightful. Peachy _fucking_ keen."

"... Honey, do you wanna talk?"

"What is there to talk about?" Ivo asked as the playlist moved to the next song. _All I Want_ , the screen proclaimed, by Kodaline. "You were right. I should have toned it down. I didn't, and... now look what happened."

"Baby..."

"No. No, don't... don't start." Ivo trembled a little. "I understand if you want me to leave. I'll be gone by morning if you want." He let out a soft, bitter chuckle. "I was never good enough for you anyway. I always thought it... just took hearing it from the outside to know it was true."

"Ivo... none of that's true." Stone tentatively reached out and touched the Doctor's shoulder, when he didn't flinch away he moved in closer and began a gentle shoulder massage. "I love my family, don't get me wrong... but you're my family now, too. And they've got you all wrong."

"I ruined everything, Aban. I didn't tone it down and I ruined everything. Just like I ruin everything else."

"You didn't ruin anything," Stone murmured. "They just aren't used to you. You threw each other off. I shouldn't have downplayed you the way I did in the first place." He pressed a gentle kiss to the top of Ivo's head. "We can leave, if you want. Go somewhere else. We don't have to stay."

"No. Don't let me get between you and your family. You talked about them so much. I know how important they are to you. I'll... just go back to being the way I was, I guess."

Thunder crashed outside and rain began pounding the outside of the truck. "Ivo," Stone whispered, "you're my family now, too. I don't care if they don't like you. I love you."

Silence except for the rain, the song fading out, and the occasional crack of thunder. "I'll give you some space if you want. Come see me when you're ready, okay?" Aban kissed his lover's head again. "I love you."

He began to back off, turned towards the door. Then he heard Ivo's chair creak, footsteps approach, and a hand grab his wrist. "Ivo?"

He got no further before he was pulled into a tight embrace. He let out a quiet huff of almost laughter, wrapping his arms around his lover. "Okay. Okay, I won't go. We should turn this depressing music off, though."

"Music off," Ivo repeated. The voice control in the lab did exactly that, leaving just the rain pounding on the trailer. "S'too quiet... I need something else."

"Okay. You have to let go for a second... let me at your computer."

Though Ivo tensed, he nodded. Silently, he let go of Stone and let him cross to the computer, tapping away at the keyboard to sign into his Spotify account and click on a playlist Ivo had no clue existed. "Doctor Strange Love," it was titled, a reference that made Robotnik's lips twitch into a smile.

The selection of songs was eclectic, to say the least, following no obvious theme, but as the music tripped through the room, Stone stood, returned to Ivo's side, and wrapped his arms around him, holding him tight. "Dance with me," Stone murmured. "We never slow dance anymore."

Robotnik didn't say a word, instead opting to wrap his arms tight around his agent's shoulders and nuzzle his face into Stone's neck. "Alright, alright. We're not really gonna be able to dance too well like this."

"Don't care," Ivo mumbled into Stone's neck, his breath ghosting against his skin. "Just... just hold me, you beautiful idiot."

There he was, the Ivo that Aban knew and loved. Agent Stone chuckled and held Ivo a little tighter. The first song they hadn't been paying attention to, and he noticed it was fading out, replaced by gentle trips of guitar, and baritone vocals. He'd forgotten about the Elvis songs he'd put on this playlist, but hey, it worked.

He began whispering the lyrics to _Love Me Tender_ into Ivo's ear as the pair swayed to the music. Their grips on one another tightened, thunder rumbled and rain pounded against the trailer. Neither seemed to mind.

Stone paused when he felt something damp on his neck. "Ivo?" he whispered, pausing his whispering of the lyrics. "Baby, are you-"

"I don't deserve you, Aban," Ivo interrupted. His voice was thin and breaking. "I don't deserve any of this."

"Shhh. Don't. Don't you dare say that. That's the man I love you're talking bad about."

Robotnik paused, swallowed hard, and hiccuped a little. "... I love you, too."

"I know, baby. I know."

"I don't wanna dance anymore," the Doctor breathed. "Just want you to hold me."

"Okay. You wanna go sit down?"

"Yeah. M-my legs are shaking."

Stone blinked and glanced down. Indeed, they were. In fact, all of him was shaking. "Alright. Here." With little effort, he managed to scoop Robotnik up into his arms. "Can you activate the print scanner? It'd be kinda hard for me to do that right now."

"Yeah. Oh-" Ivo cleared his throat and managed "Music off" through his cracking, tearful voice. The pair awkwardly made their way into the living area, settling onto the couch, Robotnik nestled into Stone's side. "I love you," he repeated, holding tight to him and clutching his shirt in his fist like he was desperate to have something, anything to anchor him to Stone, to this moment.

"I love you, too, sweetheart," Aban whispered. "Get some sleep... you look exhausted."

"Mm. I am." With his head rested on Stone's lap, Ivo managed to nod off. Only once he was soundly asleep did Stone attend to his buzzing cell phone, noting the many, many texts from his sisters.

 _Is he okay? You've been out there a while._ Kit was, unsurprisingly, the one to text him about Robotnik's well-being. Stone smiled a little, stroked a hand through Ivo's hair, and snapped a quick picture of his sleeping face. He looked so peaceful, hair in his face and long, dark lashes fluttering slightly against his cheeks.

 _He's fine. Wore himself out. We're probably going to spend the night out here. Work this out in the morning._ He then set his phone down on the end table and reached, instead, for the TV remote.

\---

"Oh... look at him," Kit said as the picture sent to her popped up on her phone, a smile on her face. "He's asleep in Aban's lap."

"He looks like he's been crying," Nasira pointed out. "Did... did we do that?"

"... Maybe we were kind of hard on him." Kit chewed her lip as she re-read her brother's text. "He is kind of weird... but I think they really do love each other. You know, whenever he thought we weren't looking... he gave Aban these really sweet looks. He'd, like, stare at him like a puppy."

"Maybe they're good for each other. Aban always was the nurturing sort."

"Maybe." Kit put her phone down and sighed a little. "We'll worry about it in the morning... but I think we have some apologies to make."


End file.
